Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United, reclaiming their position at the summit of the Premier League table.
Jurgen Klopp attributed Liverpool’s improvement to their substitutes, whose impact was pivotal in the win over Sheffield United.
Despite emerging victorious, Liverpool’s performance fell short of their usual standard, as they faced off against the league’s bottom-placed team at Anfield.
The opening goal for the home side came in the 17th minute, courtesy of Darwin Nunez’s charge-down of Ivo Grbic’s clearance, resulting in the ball finding its way into the net.
Following the early goal, Liverpool struggled to generate significant scoring opportunities, allowing Sheffield United to level the score in the 58th minute. Gustavo Hamer’s header deflected off Conor Bradley before slipping past Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Two minutes later, Klopp made the decision to substitute talisman Mo Salah and Ryan Gravenberch, bringing on Harvey Elliott and Andy Robertson respectively. Despite the score remaining level, this tactical change was implemented. Shortly after, Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo were brought on for Joe Gomez and Domink Szoboslai.
Each of the four substitutes made a notable impact on the game. Following Robertson’s cross, Alexis Mac Allister capitalized on a clearance, striking the ball into the top corner with just 14 minutes left on the clock. Then, in the 90th minute, Gakpo found the back of the net with a header from Robertson’s cross, securing the victory.
Klopp is of the opinion that the substitutions have injected extra acceleration and speed into Liverpool’s style of play. Regarding the triumph, the manager of the Reds remarked:
“As a manager, you have to take it like you get it. I would prefer to be 5-0 up at that moment already but that’s tricky. We scored one of my favourite goals ever, 1-0, because I think from time to time a striker needs that kind of thing.
“I ask him quite a lot to press the opponent and it’s quite rare that you get really close enough to have this kind of block, but he did and then scores, 1-0. That’s great. And then these kind of games are difficult.
“Low block, obviously learning that their set-pieces are really difficult after 20 seconds when they could have been 1-0 up, which would have been really funny again, and then in the next corner again the ball goes through and there is nobody at the far post – thank God, otherwise that would have been again a big chance.
“Then obviously we controlled the game but there are different ways to control a football game and the way we controlled it today was not the right one with not enough creating.
“I don’t expect now that we have chance after chance after chance because they didn’t even have counter-attacks if I’m right. If I would have asked the boys for the counter-press, it was not necessary because we won the ball back anyway, so it’s like you don’t even have these kind of moments.
“What you have to do, we saw that after 60 minutes. You have to accelerate, you have to speed up, you have to overlap, underlap – and that’s what we did all of a sudden.
“The example, Robbo going down the line constantly, which was really helpful. That’s the problem, the game was a difficult one to get rhythm but we should have had a better rhythm than we had.
“That’s what we got after 60 or whatever. OK, we needed then Macca’s wondergoal obviously to turn it properly around, but the third goal was exactly like it should have been before already, these kind of moments – Robbo full speed, wonderful cross, sensational header and then we won the game.
“In the end, all good. I don’t know when we face next time a similar challenge, probably all the other games are now different, especially the next one.
“But super-positive the boys on, Curtis [Jones] back, Robbo trained now three days or so, really helpful, Harvey [Elliott]. Cody, not out but a really good game, which he needed as well.
“Really pleased and that helps obviously. Nobody got injured already as far as I know today, so recovery started already and now we recover and go again.”
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